Empty Glass
| Studio = Eel Pie Studios and A.I.R. Studios, London, UK | Genre = | Length = 39:46 | Label = Atco Records | Producer = Pete Townshend, Chris Thomas | Last album = Rough Mix (1977) | This album = Empty Glass (1980) | Next album = All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes (1982) }} [ Allmusic review] |rev2 = Rolling Stone |rev2score = |rev3 = Robert Christgau |rev3Score = B− |rev4 = Smash Hits |rev4score = 7/10 |rev5 = PopMatters |rev5score = }} Empty Glass is the first solo album of original material, and third album overall, by Pete Townshend, first released in 1980. The album deals with a plethora of issues that Townshend was struggling with, including alcoholism, drug abuse, marital problems and deceased friends, particularly Keith Moon, The Who's drummer died in 1978. Empty Glass also contained the devotional love song, "Let My Love Open the Door", which became a top ten hit single in the US, along with the other (modestly successful) singles, "Rough Boys" and "A Little Is Enough". The album was rated No. 57 on Rolling Stone's list of 100 Greatest Albums of the 1980s. Gibson had a poll which rated the album at No. 5 for "The greatest albums released by an artist who was previously in a successful band". History The origins of the album's title are described in the following quote from Townshend (taken from an interview with Murray Lerner on the film "The Who: Live at the Isle of Wight" Festival"): This concept was derived from the work of the Persian poet Hafez, which Townshend became interested in from his involvement with Avatar, Meher Baba. The album was written and recorded between 1978 and 1980, when activity with The Who had started to pick up again, and Townshend found himself having to write for both his solo projects and his band. As a result, Empty Glass, when compared with The Who's 1981 album Face Dances, was considered the superior album, with many critics calling it an album by The Who that never was. Roger Daltrey later commented that he felt let down by Townshend, and that many of the songs from the album would have worked well for The Who, among them "Rough Boys" and "Empty Glass"; Townshend countered by saying that he felt "Rough Boys" was the one song Roger Daltrey would have wanted clarified (in terms of the song's homoerotic subtext) and toned down if he were to sing it, thus defeating its message, while "Empty Glass" had been recorded during sessions for Who Are You in 1978, with a version featuring Keith Moon on drums and John Entwistle on bass released on the 1996 reissue of that album. This version is notable for the more suicidal undertones in the lyrics that were changed in the final, solo version. The line "Killing each other, then we jump off the ledge" from the Who Are You sessions was changed to "Killing each other by driving a wedge". Cover art The sleeve was designed by photographer Bob Carlos Clarke. The album's title is an allusion to a poem by the Sufi poet Hafez. The sleeve cover of the vinyl album (SD 33–100) includes this dedication: :This album is dedicated to my wife Karen. "Rough Boys" is dedicated to my children Emma and Minta and to the Sex Pistols. Track listing Non-album tracks # "Classified" (Demo Recorded in 1970 Released as a B-side on several 1980 European single releases of "Let My Love Open the Door") # "Greyhound Girl" (B-side to "Let My Love Open the Door" EP in Europe) # "Let My Love Open the Door" (Alternative Mix from the 1996 UK CD Single) Personnel * Pete Townshend - vocals, guitars, synths * John "Rabbit" Bundrick - "straight" keyboards * Simon Phillips - drums (tracks: A2 to A4, B2, B4, B5) * James Asher - drums (tracks: A5, B1) * Kenney Jones - drums (track: A1) * Mark Brzezicki - drums (track: B3) * Tony Butler - bass guitar * Raphael Rudd - brass arrangements on "Rough Boys" * Peter Hope-Evans - harmonica on "Cat's in the Cupboard" ;Technical *Bill Price - engineer *Steve Nye - additional engineer * Ted Jensen - mastering engineer *Bob Carlos Clarke - sleeve design Charts Album – Billboard (North America) Singles – Billboard (North America) Certifications References Category:1980 albums Category:Pete Townshend albums Category:Atco Records albums Category:English-language albums Category:Albums produced by Chris Thomas (record producer) Category:Albums produced by Pete Townshend